The official website of the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office
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ASSOCIATED LINKS
Mount Moriah Compassion Ministry Re-Entry Program
in partnership with the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office,
Massachusetts State Parole, and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office,
have joined together to help young offenders
re-integrate into the community after incarceration.
Approximately 400 to 500 inmates return to Brockton neighborhoods each year from the Plymouth House of Corrections. Unfortunately, the revolving door concept is a familiar one and recidivism rates are high. It has become increasingly apparent that in order to improve the quality of life for residents in Brockton’s toughest neighborhoods, this population needed to be addressed.
In early 2004, Reverend Eugene Neville, pastor of Mount Moriah Baptist Church, members from the District Attorney’s Office, including the Weed and Seed Coordinator, and the state parole office met to discuss the creation of a unique program to address the re-entry needs of prisoners returning to the community. Created was a program that may be the first of its type in the nation. Perhaps the most unique component is a video link between the jail and the church. Mentors at the church can not only begin case management well before the inmate is released, but the link also allows family members to visit the prisoner without traveling to the jail. This is particularly important since many of these men have young children. Visiting the jail can be frightening for children in the best of circumstance, but it can be traumatizing in the event of a lock down or other violent disturbance. By visiting via the video link, much of the trauma is removed, and depending on their age, the child may not even know their father is in jail. Keeping the family connected helps smooth the father’s transition home and provides support for a more successful re-entry.
In addition to the video link, the church, in conjunction with area service providers, will connect the ex-offenders with job opportunities, housing, counseling and substance abuse services. A unique partnership with the Massachusetts State Parole has created an opportunity for faith-based parole ridealongs, in which mentors from the church ride with officers to visit ex-offenders on parole.
Currently, the church can serve thirty ex-offenders and their families. The project was made possible through the donation of 30 video conferencing units from Polycom Corporation. In addition, programmatic expenses have been funded through the Weed and Seed Initiative and Project Safe Neighborhoods. These funds have been leveraged by the countless volunteer hours donated to the program by members of the church.
The program is a promising approach to addressing prisoner re-entry and will hopefully serve as a model for other faith-based collaborations. Reverend Neville and the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office will soon begin working with other churches to help them create a similar program in their neighborhoods.
